Obasanjo warns against military take-over

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Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has warned against a military government in Nigeria, saying such move will undermine the integrity of the country in the comity of nations.

Mr. Obasanjo gave the warning when the wife of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Aisha Buhari, led South West Women of the party to his home in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The former leader said he was happy Nigeria has gone beyond the rumour of Interim National Government.

‪”I do hope we will get things more right. A lot of rumours are flying around, I think we have gone away from the rumour of Interim Government because that is not in our constitution,” Mr. Obasanjo said. “I hope we will soon go away from the rumour of handing over to the military because the military is not meant to run affairs of a nation in terms of running government.”

Ahead of Saturday’s presidential election, there have been speculations about a possible military intervention, and the formation of an Interim National Government in Nigeria.

Denials by President Goodluck Jonathan that his government is not planning to surrender power to an interim body, should the opposition win, have not totally doused those fears.

Prominent lawyer, Femi Falana, said on Sunday that there were still no indications the elections will go forward. He warned against a coup d’etat.

Mr. Obasanjo said the international community especially the African Union will not accommodate or recognise any government that emerges outside Nigeria’s constitution.

“The intentional community will not condone it, particularly African Union. We have said and it is part and parcel of the constituting act of the African Union. Any government that is not brought about on the basis of the constitution will not be accepted, will not be tolerated and will not be a member of the AU until that government is dismantled,” he said.

‪Mr. Obasanjo said Nigeria has all it takes to dictate the pace for other countries in Africa, adding that Nigerians should blame themselves for where it is today.

‪”We are the largest country in Africa, we should be a model, setting examples, we shouldn’t be drawing Africa backward. I hope we will not. I hope at the end of this exercise, we would be where we should be, leading Africa and showing examples for the rest of Africa and indeed the rest of the world.

‪”We have the goodwill of many people. I watched, last night, President Obama talking about our constitution, I watched our brother from Ghana, the current Chairman of ECOWAS talk about our constitution, they are all interested, they all wish us well, should we wish ourselves anything less?”

‪ Mr. Obasanjo said political parties should focus more on what unites the country and avoid hate campaigns. ‪He said anyone who is interested in the future of Nigeria should focus on issues of insecurity, economy, employment.

‪‪”How are we going to get them, what are we going to do, not trivial issues of certificate, no certificate, not trivial issues of when somebody are talking about someone is a Nigerian and not a Nigerian.

Mrs. Buhari, who had earlier embarked on a rally in company of all wives of APC Governors in the country at Moshood Abiola Stadium in the town, thanked Mr. Obasanjo for being what she described as a true nationalist, saying that he acted beyond party level while solving issues affecting the country.

‪”Baba exercises his prowess as a father, as a former head of state of Nigeria twice. Very few Nigerians have the opportunity to rule the country twice, we are here today to show our appreciation the way you handle things as a statesman and also a nationalist.

‪”We thank you so much for acting beyond party in getting things right, thank you for that, may you live long to continue solving out problems,” she said.

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Obasanjo should be probed after the election. The new Jonathan government should be tough and decisive. All the apc criminals must face justice.

Festuso

I bet the judge will be appointed from your village!

C3kwe

Yes, the same judge that will disqualify buhari tomorrow.

Festuso

He who sows the wind WILL reap the whirlwind. It’s people like you who will run to the nearest church calling the Name of Jesus to come and save you and your children….however none of you remembers Our Lord Jesus now that you are sowing the seeds of evil which will surely germinate and bear fruit for you to taste thereof. You sow seeds through your thoughts, your words and your actions and they ALL bear fruit correspondingly!
Anyone that attempts to disqualify a candidate 3-4 days to the election, be it Buhari or Jonathan will see why IBB had to step aside after June 12 Annulment. Maybe you were not yet born in1993….the experience awaits you!

C3kwe

Look Festus, you are so carried away by sentiment. Are you suggesting that if the Court of the federal republic of Nigeria found Buhari guilty of not following the constitutional requirements, he should be allowed to contest? You mean the court should be subjected to blackmail by unscrupulous elements of your party apc, who has often accused Jonathan of being clueless. It beggars believe that you are equating June 12 with the present situation. My friend, if buhari is disqualified, heavens will not fall.

Festuso

The Chief Justice of the Federation recently warned Judges not to truncate democracy through the kind of judgment that you’re advocating. He knows what he is talking about even if you don’t!
If either Buhari or Jonathan is disqualified on the eve of the election, when do they get to exercise their right of Appeal? Is it after the election would have taken place without them being allowed to participate? That is simply recipe for chaos! It is not a question of being sentimental but being pragmatic. What have they been doing for the past months….to now disqualify a candidate 3 days to election and you call that normal?
Such a thing can only happen in a banana republic such as Nigeria where jungle law holds supreme and the citizenry no longer possess any sense of justice to scream ‘foul’!

Festuso

Hey, whatever happened to your purchased judge that was going to disqualify Buhari? Maybe your village chief managed to talk sense into his head afterall. It appears some people are able to see farther than their noses!

C3kwe

Congratulations, remember what all of us wanted is what will be good for our country. Don’t forget to congratulate me if Jonathan wins on Saturday. Take care.

Festuso

Jonathan can NEVER win a free and fair election against Buhari on Saturday. What you people are doing overthere is a mockery of election. You go about with thugs and soldiers locking up your opponents while stuffing ballot boxes with pre-thumbed ballot papers and you call that ‘election’. The Ekitigate saga has already opened all your bottoms to the air!
Jonathan is determined to sit-tight using all the forces of intimidation at his disposal…..even a blind person can see that but ALL tyrants eventuall fall….!
As someone noted recently, “For every Goliath, there is a Stone”!

C3kwe

From your last post, we have one thing in common. Both of us will not vote ❎ because we live abroad. My own election is coming in May and it is a parliamentary election, which is not a do or die election in contrast to what is happening in our country. I support Jonathan because I want some sort of continuity because of his transformation agenda, I know that Buhari is not a natural leader, rather he is a delegator, that is not what nigeria needs now.

Festuso

I also hope to participate in the May elections and I know that nobody will send thugs with cutlasses to my house to influence the way I vote. Many of us cherish the transparency and orderliness that govern every facet of life in other parts of the world….that is why we feel concerned and infuriated about what’s going on, while at the same time hoping and praying that things can be done right in our fatherland!
I beg to differ with you regarding Buhari. I believe that he has already proved himself to be a great Leader when he risked his life to overthrow the government of Shagari in 1983 which was one of the most corrupt civilian administrations in history. I was there…I had just returned to Nigeria and almost ran back after seeing what the NPN had turned the country into. Buhari did exactly what needed to be done and it was either you shape up or ship out! Jonathan on the other hand has not shown himself to be a strong and firm Leader as he always leaves everything to decay to the last point before acting….hence we have Boko Haram taking over many LGs in our country. That could never happen under Buhari, Obasanjo or IBB. As for being a delegator, every good Leader delegates but will be wise enough to monitor closely what those he delegated duties to are doing. Jonathan has simply surrounded himself with sycophants and allowed Petroleum Minister Diezani, Okonjo-Iweala, Stella Oduah, etc, to control his government and give him a bad name. That is not the hallmark of a good Leader!

C3kwe

Congratulations my friend. I wish Buhari all the best. Take care.

Festuso

Thanks for being a sport! I’m confident that he’ll do well and in another year or two we’ll begin to see the difference. Then you and I can choose to return to our fatherland and help to make it great!

tsunami1earthquake

It is sometimes worrisome when I hear Obasanjo castigating the present PDP government. Can Obasanjo swear he was not instrumental, remotely or directly, covertly or overtly, in installing what is happening today? Was Obasanjo’s government any better than what we have today? Rather than going in the background to repair the damage he had caused he is seen here berating a mess he had helped establish.That is very unfair. If any blames are to be apportioned Obasanjo cannot go unscathed. He was responsible for 8 years out of the 16 years of PDP mismanagement of the country. So what’s he playing a holier-than-thou for?

C3kwe

Well, from your last post, I think we have one thing in common. Both of us will not vote ❎ because we live abroad. My own election is coming in May and it is a parliamentary election,which is not a do or die election in contrast to what is happening in our country. I support Jonathan because I want some sort of continuity because of his transformation agenda, I know that Buhari is not a natural leader, rather he is a delegator, that is not what nigeria needs now.